Teaching English through Authentic Literature

Abstract

The present paper is encompassed within the category 1: Education Improvement contemplated in the regulations established by Universitat Jaume I. It proposes the implementation of authentic literature as a means to develop students’ overall English skills. Furthermore, it highlights the need to train students’ reading skills in the language classroom in conjunction with the other skills of writing, listening and speaking due to the great impact this has on foreign language development. It is widely known that in Spanish secondary schools, the teaching of reading is neglected and undertaken in isolation. Nevertheless, this issue can be addressed by introducing authentic literature as illustrated in the present work. Moreover, the main goal of this study is to demonstrate that authentic literature represents a valuable tool that contributes to students’ cultural enrichment, language enhancement and personal growth. Therefore, a lesson plan has been devised according to the characteristics and needs of a group of fourth year ESO students (Compulsory Secondary Education). A wide variety of activities such as discussions in small groups, reading comprehension tasks and an oral presentation among others have been included in this proposal. Most of them have been implemented in the Catholic secondary school La Salle Benicarló, within two sessions. The main results which were positive have demonstrated that authentic literature combined with appropriate teaching approaches may ensure constructive learning outcomes in the language classroom. The students had the opportunity to improve their English skills, to learn about Native American culture and to reflect upon complex issues such as cultural differences, identity, social inequalities and many others.